FREQUENCY: Common
NO. APPEARING: 1 or 3-24
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 6 ?//15? (and see below)
HIT DICE: 1 hp to 14 HD
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 (bite)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil to 3-36
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Tail sweep
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
SIZE: S to L (2? to 55? long)
Crocodilians are archosaurs, and they are
common in Jurassic
and Cretaceous times as well as in modern
settings. They include
crocodiles,
alligators, caimans, and gavials. The typical crocodilian
is a semiaquatic predator with a sprawling
gait and a skin studded
sunning spot. Those encountered in groups
are of similar sizes,
for obvious reasons. They vary with size
as shown below:
| HIT DICE: | 1 hp | 1/4 | 1/2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-10 | 11-12 | 13-14 |
| DAMAGE: | Nil | 1 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 2-5 | 2-8 | 2-12 | 2-16 | 2-20 | 3-24 | 3-30 | 3-36 |
| SIZE: | S(to 3) | S(4) | S(5) | M(6) | M(7) | L(8-9) | L(10-11) | L(12-15) | L(16-25) | L(26-35) | L(36-45) | L(46-55) |
On land (but not in the water)
crocodiles may swing a tail
against those who stray too near their
hindquarters. The heavy,
bony tail inflicts damage equal to the
bite of a crocodilian one size
class smaller (that is, a 2 HD crocodile
can inflict 1-4 hit points of
damage in this way). Also, crocodiles
that bite for 3-24 points of
damage or more can swallow man-sized prey
whole. Crocodilians
may be specialized in a number of different
ways that affect combat ability and movement rate.
Some crocodilians are adapted to a specialized
diet, either of
small fishes (in which case the snout
is slender and the teeth thin
but sharp) or of shelled creatures such
as sea turtles and mollusks
(in which case the teeth are relatively
blunt and are adapted to
crushing). Gavials are examples of the
former sort of specialization. In either case, the crocodilian?s bite is
less effective against
other sorts of prey, and biting damage
is reduced by one size
class. Such specialized crocodilians may
be of any size, and are
found in all parts of the Mesozoic.
Though many crocodilians may venture out
into the open sea, a
few are heavily modified for a marine
existence, with reduced
body armor, paddles in place of feet,
and sharklike tails. These
specialized crocodiles may be adapted
to fish-eating as described
above. They are found only in Jurassic
settings. The armor class is
reduced to 7, and the movement rate is
3"//18". Crocodilians of
this sort may have up to 6 HD.